November is officially here and it means that the all my favorite spooky things are packed up until the the fun begins next year. However, November officially starts the holiday season in our house, and I start to go into Thanksgiving prep mode.
The past few years I have started cooking the Thanksgiving dinner for my family and my husband's family. I really enjoy menu planning, and prepping for the big event. However, I know that this is not everyone's idea of a good time, and time saving recipes that are delicious, easy, and time saving are important. I can also appreciate this because, as much as I love my kitchen, I love having the ability to spend the time with family as well.
My Easy Cheesy Broccoli Casserole is a perfect addition for a holiday table. It features fresh broccoli, a rich sharp cheddar sauce, and a butter crispy cracker topping. An easy recipe with traditional broccoli cheese flavors the entire family will love. 
One of the great things about this recipe is that many of the steps can be done in advance. Steam the broccoli in advance and make the cracker topping in advance make the assembly of this casserole simple and efficient. Another plus is the quick cook time because you can pop it into the oven while your turkey and ham rests before carving. It will come out hot, cheesy, bubbling, and ready to serve.
The cheese sauce I use for this recipe is my standard ol' reliable cheese sauce that I use for mac and cheese, but I seasoned it will a little extra garlic for an extra kick to the casserole. I love to use sharp cheddar for the flavors it brings to this casserole, but a medium to mild cheddar or event a monterey jack cheese will work nicely in this recipe as well.
My kiddos like broccoli, but normally like it raw with a little ranch dressing, but when I first made this casserole I told them is is broccoli- mac and cheese style. Thankfully, this was a success to get them to try it! They have developed a habit of calling this broccoli with mac and cheese sauce, and I figure whatever works because kids are not the easiest critics! I am thankful that my kiddos aren't too picky, but there are many days that they like to throw me for a loop and proclaim meals that have been favorites to be the WORST. The joys of parenting. The. Joys. I am hoping to get my oldest involved with cooking for the holidays this year because I know that, at least with him, engagement makes him the most likely to try new things, and when he tried his little brother will try. Monkey see, monkey do as my Mom always said.
How are you prepping for the upcoming holidays? Are you a person who cooks, or are you a taste testers? Maybe you are all about the shopping? If you are, my hat is off to you because that is my crux. I have never been a person who could deal with the massive amounts of people during holiday shopping, and it makes me incredibly thankful for online options.... However, I do like to support local business in my area, and make sure to frequent them, but I pick my times strategically so I have time to browse and shop.
Easy Cheesy Broccoli Casserole
Ingredients
- 6 cups uncooked broccoli florets
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 sleeve butter round crackers (like Ritz), about 25 crackers
- 3 tablespoon melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease an oven safe baking dish and set aside. I use a cast iron 12-in round skillet when I make this dish.
- Fill a pot with about 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer. Add broccoli, cover, and steam for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and drain water. Place broccoli in the prepared baking dish and set aside.
- In a medium pot, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in flour and cook for about a minutes. Whisk in the milk, garlic powder, pepper, and salt. Bring the heat until the mixture is about to simmer and whisk in the shredded cheese. Whisk till melted and then whisk in the sour cream.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the broccoli. In a gallon sealable bag, crush the crackers and add the melted butter. Reseal and toss the crushed crackers in the butter for the topping.
- Top the broccoli casserole with the crushed buttered crackers and bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.
Claudia Lamascolo
wow what a great side dish for Thanksgiving and all the cheese will make everyone happy, its going on the list to try!
CheeseCurdInParadise
Thank you! It is one of my favorites!
Dan Zehr
I add your recipe to my favorite. A wonderful casserole on Thanksgiving Day. This looks super easy and full of ingredients my family loves. Looking forward to trying soon.
CheeseCurdInParadise
Thank you! I love cheesy broccoli, and it is so easy!
Lauren Vavala | DeliciousLittleBites
I love for Broccoli and Cheese Casserole during the holidays. I'm literally the only one in my family who will eat it and not a bite goes to waste. I've never had one with sour cream before, so I will be giving this recipe a try soon!
CheeseCurdInParadise
I hope you love it as much as I do!
Catherine
What a fun and delicious way to serve up broccoli. I have to try this soon...I know my family would absolutely love it!
Kylee from Kylee Cooks
What a great easy side dish that will be a great change from green beans this year! This looks delish.
Veena Azmanov
Love broccoli and love such cheese recipes. My kids will eat simple steamed broccoli but once in a while, I like making such dishes. Can't wait to try this.
Karyl Henry
This casserole looks so good! I always buy broccoli, and then it just sits in the fridge. This is a great new way to use it, and I'll definitely have to give it a try
Eileen Kelly
Broccoli and cheese in one pot, hello! I love the ease of this recipe and my entire family is nuts for broccoli! I am pinning this to make for them
CheeseCurdInParadise
that is awesome everyone is a fan! yay!
Dianna
Cheesy broccoli recipe looks fantastic. So crispy and perfect on the top, yum! I'm making this recipe on Thanksgiving for sure.
April
Thanksgiving prep mode is everything! And choosing the right dishes is the most important step in it. Definitely considering this casserole now!
Camilla Hawkins
Yummy! My vegetarian daughter would love this, luckily I just bought some broccoli so will try it this weekend!
Marisa Franca
This will certainly become a family favorite. It does look easy to make and you can't go wrong with broccoli in cheese plus some delicious bread crumbs on top. In fact, I think I'll make this for Sunday dinner.
Deborah
This looks so tasty. Going to make it tonight for my boyfriend. Thanks for sharing.
CheeseCurdInParadise
wonderful! Let me know how you like it!
Denay DeGuzman
What a beautiful broccoli side dish! So perfect for the holiday season.
Colleen - Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck
I could totally eat this all by itself for dinner! Just hand me a spoon!